Runaway
by MayaAlexia
Summary: Danny's parents have noticed that their teenage son is acting rather oddly... and have come to the conclusion that he must be a ghost! In the confusion that follows, Danny runs away, and the search is on to bring him home.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi! Okay, before I'd begin I'd like to apologise to Dannyphantomfreeek. They requested this story more than a month ago and I've only just gotten around to writing it. I'm sorry! It's been a little hectic with me lately. I'm still going to try and update at least once a week, hopefully every tuesday.  
_

_I'd just like to thank Dannyphantomfreek for asking me to write this. I'm delighted that you'd pick me! So thank you very much. I hope you enjoy reading it! I'm sorry this first chapter's a little short.  
_

**DISCLAIMER: **_I don't own Danny Phantom._

**CHAPTER ONE: **_Coming to Conclusions_

* * *

"Ghost detected three feet ahead. You must be some kind of moron not to notice the ghost three feet ahead." The machine drawled in a monotone voice.

"Ghost!" shouted Jack, advancing forward-

-on his teenage son, Danny.

"Dad! I have to get to school!" he yelped, wishing for the millionth time that he could just turn invisible and run for the door... but that would only mean more questions.

"Sorry, Honey. I just don't understand why it keeps keying into you..." Maddie Fenton said, giving her son a quick hug before he raced out the door. "See you after school sweetie!"

Once the black-haired boy had left, she turned to her husband.

"Come on Jack. Let's go and work the bugs out of it." she said with a sigh, and the pair of them took their 'broken' invention downstairs, unaware that it was working perfectly.

* * *

When Danny returned after school that day, he was confronted by hazmat-clad parents waving a bizarre device at him.

"Uh... Hi Mom, hi Dad."

"Hi son!" beamed Jack.

"Hi Honey! We're just going to see if it still keys into you, okay? Turn it on, Jack dear."

Jack enthusiastically slammed the switch down. Lights came on, and the machine whirred and beeped quietly to itself for a few seconds.

Danny stared at it, puzzled. Surely it should-

"Ghost detected two feet ahead. How did you miss the ghost two feet ahead of you?" it deadpanned. Danny glared at it.

Maddie took the invention from her husband, turning it over. "I just don't understand it..."

"Uh, right Mom. I've got some homework from Lancer, so I'm going to the library now."

"Okay sweetie, work hard!" she called brightly after her son.

Later that evening, the couple were once again fiddling with their invention in the lab.

"Jack dear, would you pass me the ecto-purifier?" Maddie asked, holding out a hand. Jack passed her a beaker.

"Thank you dear. It looks as if everything's working perfectly... but I just don't understand why it keeps going off around Danny!"

"Maybe he's being overshadowed!" Jack said excitably.

Maddie sighed."No, Honey, we tested him already, remember? All the machines are reacting like..."

She trailed off, realisation hitting her full-on.

"...Like he's a ghost..." she whispered. "Jack, has Danny been acting differently lately?"

"Nope!" said her husband cheerfully, but her husband, sweet as he was, was completely oblivious to anything that didn't involve ghosts. Danny _had_ been acting kind of strangely ever since the...

"The accident." she murmured, staring at their greatest invention with a kind of horror-struck wonder. The Fenton Portal sat there innocently, two thick, solid steel, lead-lined doors holding the barrier between living and dead shut.

But surely if he was a ghost, he would be on an evil rampage by now?

Unless...

Loathe though she was to admit it, there _was_ evidence for good ghosts out there. Danny Phantom _did_ help with the ghost problem... not that that would stop her from hunting him down. He was still a nuisance, and he caused so much property damage too.

Still, the thought horrified her. Had she actually _killed_ her little boy? She couldn't have. He was her _son_; she would never harm a hair on his head! He... he couldn't be _dead!_

She resolved that, even if he was, she wouldn't care. He was her little boy, ghost or not. He wasn't evil. They knew enough about ghosts to be able to take care of one... right?

She felt sick and guilty. No wonder Danny had never had any interest in hunting ghosts with them! All this time, they'd been going on about destroying ghosts... And oh, that time she'd forced the poor boy to wear spectre deflector! They'd been such _awful_ parents!

"Jack honey," she said quietly. "I... I think... I think Danny might be a ghost."

* * *

_Again, sorry it's short. Please review!_

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

_Here's the second chapter! It was a little difficult to write, but I'm pretty happy with it. Hopefully, so will you be :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed/story alerted/favorited the first chapter!_

Maddie glanced down at the flashing light on the machine in her hands one last time. A tiny LCD informed her that in the room next to her, a ghost was sat...

Maddie glanced through the doorway. The ghost was apparently playing some kind of video game with Tucker Foley.

She sighed. She had told Jack to stay downstairs- she didn't want him to blurt out something insensitive and upset Danny. She knew her husband _meant_ well, but he didn't tend to think things through before he said them, and sometimes that could give people the wrong idea.

"Danny, honey, could you come here for a minute?"

Danny paused the game, and got to his feet. "Be right there, mom!" he called, and then turned to Tucker. "Just a minute, Tuck."

He took a seat opposite his mother. "Hey," he said, "What's the matter?" he asked, giving her a concerned look. "You look a bit upset."

"Danny, sweetheart... you know that if there's anything you wanted to tell us, we would always listen to you, right?"

"Uh... okay." said Danny, slightly confused. "What's this about, mom?"

"Danny, is there anything at all you want to tell us? Because you know we'd never intentionally hurt you, don't you?"

"Of course I know you wouldn't hurt me," said Danny. "Mom, what's the matter?"

He gave her a worried look.

"Danny, sweetheart, your father and I..." she frowned. How exactly were you supposed to ask whether or not your son was a ghost?

"You know that you'll always be more important than our ghost-hunting, right, honey? And that, if you were to tell us something, then we would always support you?"

"Mom, I know that. I don't mind your ghost-hunting. It's okay, really!"

Maddie glanced at the machine in her hands. "Danny, I... do you know why the machines are going off around you, Danny? I mean, I know we aren't the most... ah, accepting of ghosts, and I know we've always been ranting about destroying them, or catching that Danny Phantom, but you know, if-"

Danny looked up, alarmed. "What? I don't know what you're talking about!"

Maddie reached for his arm. "Sweetheart, it's okay, we-"

He was on his feet now, having jumped out of his seat. "No! No, I'm not- It's not-" he was in a state of panic. This couldn't be happening!

"Danny-" she started, but he interrupted her.

"No! Mum, you've got it all wrong, I swear!" he said quickly, and raced up to his bedroom.

"Danny!" she called after him. "Danny, please, it's okay! We're not going to-"

But then she heard Danny's door slam shut with a loud bang, and knew that he wasn't listening. She frowned. "Oh, Danny..." she murmured. "Maybe it's best that I leave for a little bit. Hopefully he'll have calmed down enough to talk about it in a few minutes..."

Danny, meanwhile, was sat on his bed, desperately trying to find a way to solve his problem. They couldn't know- they just couldn't! They _hated_ Danny Phantom- or any ghost, for that matter! And it was obvious his mom knew his secret- why else would she ask him those things?

There was a knock on the door, and he heard Tucker's concerned voice.

"Hey man, you all right? I heard a bit of your argument- I mean, I wasn't listening in or anything, it was just, well, it was kind of hard _not_ to hear... What're you going to do?"

The door opened, and Tucker came in. "How'd she figure it out? I thought they were totally clueless..."

"All their ghost stuff was going off around me. I managed to convince them it was just a bug in the machines before, but, well, Tuck, they _are_ geniuses, even if they are a bit nuts... Tucker, what am I going to _do?_ I can't stay here!"

"I don't know! You could stay with me or Sam, I think..."

Danny shook his head. "That's the first place they'd look for me, Tucker! I can't stay with you guys, no matter how much I want to... but I've got to get out of here! Maybe I could get some money together or something and stay at a hotel... but I'd never have enough, and I can't ask anybody to pay for something like that for me. There's got to be somewhere I can go! Just until it all calms down a bit- I've just got to get out of here! That's it- Tucker; help me get my stuff together. I'm going to run away from home."

Tucker frowned. "Whoa, dude, don't you think that's a bit extreme? I mean, it's one thing to stay with a friend for a bit, but you're just going to live out on the streets?"

"It's not like I can't take care of myself, Tuck- I've got ghost powers, it shouldn't be too hard, right? That's what I was going to do when Freakshow had the reality gauntlet!"

Tucker shook his head. "Yeah, but that didn't exactly work out, did it? I mean... are you sure you want to leave? Maybe you can convince them that it's just a misunderstanding?"

"I might be able to convince dad, but not mom. Look, Tuck, they want to rip Danny Phantom apart- _molecule_ by _molecule_. I've got to go- I just can't stay here. I'll... I'll try to come back and see you and Sam, but... I can't stick around. Not with my ghost-hunting parents chasing me."

Tucker sighed. "Alright, Danny... but I really hope you know what you're doing. And you'd better go see Sam before you go, or she'll hunt you down and kill you."

Danny gave him a small grin. "Yeah, I will. And- look, don't worry. I'll come back, okay? I promise."

Tucker sighed again. "You'd better keep that promise, Danny. You're my friend, and I don't want to lose you."


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter three! Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter. I just realised I had no disclaimer on the last chapter: I didn't own it then, and I don't own it now.  
_

* * *

Danny quickly packed some clothes into a bag, and grabbed a Fenton Thermos. He wasn't sure how often he'd be able to empty it back into the ghost zone, but he would need it all the same. He tossed in all the money he could find in his room, and then fastened the bag, pulled it onto his back, and went ghost.

Two silvery rings turned jeans and a t-shirt into a black and white jumpsuit, turned blue eyes green and black hair white, and where Danny Fenton had been stood Danny Phantom in all his ghostly glory. Turning invisible and intangible, he flew out of his bedroom, and off towards Sam's house.

The Manson Mansion loomed on the skyline and he dove down, knocking invisibly on Sam's bedroom window to catch her attention. After a few minutes, the window was flung open.

"Danny?" Sam looked slightly confused to see her friend knocking on her window, but pleased, too. She noticed his panicked expression, and gave him a questioning look.

"Sam, Mom found out."

Sam's eyes widened. "What? How?"

"Their machines keep going off around me, and she put two and two together and got, well, four. I- I've got to leave home, Sam."

"What? Danny, no! You could stay here, or at Tucker's, or- or- you can't leave!"

Danny shook his head. "That's the first place they'd look for me, Sam... I can't stay, Sam. My parents are ghost hunters! They _hate_ Danny Phantom! It- it'll only be for a little while. They'll come around to the idea. And I'll stay in touch with you, I promise!"

"But Danny, you can't- I- What about the ghosts?" she asked desperately.

"I've got a thermos, I'll still take care of them, and I'll come and see you whenever I get the chance."

"But where are you going to _go_, Danny?"

Danny had no answer for a moment. He didn't _know_ where he was going to go. He had no plan. They'd never thought about what might happen if his parents found out- and now they had, and he had no idea what he was doing.

"...It'll work out, Sam. I'll be okay. I promise."

Sam wrapped her arms around him. "You'd better." she said softly, and then watched as he flew out of her window and disappeared.

* * *

Danny had flown out of Amity Park towards the more rural areas on the outskirts of town. It was a place he'd been a couple of times before- usually to cool his head, or when the occasional ghost decided to pop up here, although since there were few humans around that was rare. This was the first time he'd been in human form though.

He had sat himself in the shade of a tree, and was trying to work out where exactly he could go. There was the Ghost Zone- but that would be a bad idea. It wasn't exactly a pleasant place, and it was full of ghosts who wanted him dead. So that was out.

Perhaps somebody in Amity would let him stay with them? But who could he ask? His parents would be looking for him at his friend's houses, and people were hardly going to take in a teenager they didn't know...

His stomach grumbled quietly, and Danny glared at it. He hadn't wanted to waste any of the little money he had until he really had to, and he hadn't wanted to steal until he had to either, so he had nothing to eat. He got to his feet and began looking around- there had to be food somewhere, right? Fruit? Berries? He didn't know what he was expecting to find, but provided it was edible and didn't taste too foul, he'd be happy.

Thirty minutes later, hungry, tired and getting cold, he gave up the search. The sun was beginning to set, and Danny had had a long day. He had brought a sleeping bag, but the ground was still hard and the night still chilly, and to make matters worse, it looked like the dawn would bring rain with it.

He curled up at the foot of his tree when he heard voices coming his way.

"Hello? Anybody out there? This is private property!"

Danny sat up, startled.

"Hello? Did you hear me? I said, this is private property! Anyone there?"

Danny stayed still and quiet, hoping that the voice would decide she had been mistaken and turn back. But no such luck.

"Hey! Hey... a kid? What're you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, I just, I had nowhere to go and I-"

She held up a hand. "Okay, okay. I'm not going to hurt you, kid. But you know, you should go home... although..." she looked up at the darkening sky, and sighed. "It might be a little too late for that right now. You from Amity Park?"

He nodded.

"What're you doing all the way out here? It's a fair trek from Amity! Well, you can't walk back now, not at this time of night. But I can't leave a kid like you out in the cold..." she glanced down at him, and shook her head.

"I don't know what you think you're doing out here, kid, but I suppose you'd better come with me. I can give you a bed for a night, at least, but in the morning you'd best be heading back home."

"I can't."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"My parents... My parents... It's kind of hard to explain, but they... they hate me. I can't go back there."

She sighed, and then said, hesitantly, "Well, I- I'm not sure what to do about that, but you can at least stay the night, and we'll find something to do with you in the morning. I'm Alex Wallis, by the way- Mrs Wallis to you. Now come on, kid."

"I'm Danny Fen- Just Danny."

She shook her head at him. "Just Danny, eh? Well, Just Danny it is. Now come along already."

Uncertainly, Danny nodded, and followed her.

* * *

_I'm not totally happy with the saying goodbye to Sam bit. For some reason I just find it really hard to write Sam. Still, I don't think I did too bad a job. Please Review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you to everybody who reviewed the last chapter! DISCLAIMER: I do not own Danny Phantom. _

_Chapter Four:_

* * *

Alex led Danny towards a medium-sized house, pushing the unlocked door open, and gesturing for him to take a seat by the table.

"Mark!" she called. "Come downstairs a minute."

A male voice shouted back, muffled. After a minute, a tall man in his thirties with sandy blonde hair entered the room.

"Hey, Alex, what... Why's there a teenage boy here, Alex?" asked Mark, raising his eyebrows at Danny.

"This is Danny, Mark. Danny, this is my husband, Mark Wallis." she said briskly, before taking a seat opposite Danny at the table.

"He was sleeping out under that tree, Mark. It's too late for him to be waling back to Amity Park now, so I said he could stay here for the night."

Mark frowned a little. "Alex," he said, "Can I talk to you a moment? Alone?"

Alex nodded, and followed him through the door into the other room. Danny could hear furious mutterings from his chair, but was unable to understand what they were saying.

"Alex," he hissed quietly, glancing towards the open door to where Danny was sat, "What were you thinking? We don't know anything about him!"

"Oh, so you would have me leave him in the cold, then?"

"And if we wake up tomorrow with half of our worldly possessions gone?"

Alex laughed humourlessly. "Ha, ha, ha. Look at him, Mark! He's tired, he's hungry, he's away from home- do you know what he told me? He says his parents hate him, and he can't ever go back."

"Teenagers exaggerate things, Alex! How do we know that's the truth?"

Alex looked at him pleadingly. "Mark, please. I know why you're nervous about it, but it'll only be one night, right? Just let him stay for tonight. We'll sort out what to do with him tomorrow, but at least let him come in from the cold."

Mark glanced guiltily at the boy again. Danny was looking increasingly nervous.

Mark sighed. "Alright, Alex. I agree, we can't just leave him out in the cold. I'll get him something to eat."

Alex smiled widely, and hugged him. "Thank you. I knew you'd come round."

"Ah, I'm a soft touch." said Mark with a grin, and returned to the kitchen.

"Okay, Danny," he said. "I've talked it over, and you can stay for the night, at least. I don't know what we're going to do with you in the morning, but until then, you're welcome. Have you had anything to eat lately?"

Danny shook his head. "Ah, no, Mr Wallis, but I'll be fine, really-"

Mark shook his head. "Honestly. Alex, look after him, I'm making him something to eat."

Alex nodded, and sat down by Danny. "You alright, kid? Any bumps or bruises in need of medical attention?"

"No Mrs Wallis," answered Danny truthfully. "And thank you for letting me stay for the night."

"Nonsense. It's fine. I don't know what you were thinking, planning to stay out on a night like tonight! It's getting cold now, Danny, you could've gotten sick."

Danny nodded dutifully, just as Mark presented him with a pile of sandwiches and a glass of orange juice.

Danny's stomach growled loudly at the sight, and he blushed. "Thank you."

Once he had eaten, Mark led him upstairs towards a small bedroom. "Here you go, Danny. Now get some rest."

Once Danny was asleep, Mark turned to his wife.

"I hope that kid's not some kind of crazy delinquent, Alex. Come on, let's go to bed."

Alex nodded, and followed him to their room, lingering outside Danny's door for a moment, smiling fondly.

"Goodnight, kid." she said softly, entering to pull the covers over the sleeping boy. "Sleep tight."

* * *

_This chapter was tricky to write for some reason- I think it's because I have a lot on my mind at the minute. Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Please review!_

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks to everybody who reviewed the last chapter :) Here's chapter five!_

**DISCLAIMER:** _I don't own Danny Phantom._

* * *

Danny woke up the next morning to the smell of burnt bacon and eggs. Rubbing his eyes, he stumbled out of bed, opening the bag containing his few possessions and pulled out a clean shirt and trousers, deciding that he might as well make a good impression and change out of his dirty clothes.

He made his way downstairs to the kitchen, standing uncertainly in the door and watching Alex bustle around. It was a minute or two before she noticed he was there.

"Oh! Ah- Danny, right? Good morning."

"Good morning, Mrs Wallis," said Danny, giving her a slightly sheepish smile. "Thanks."

"Silly boy. Sit down," she scolded. "It's a little burnt, but it's not too bad." she said, placing a plate of very crispy looking bacon and eggs in front of him.

It did not take long for Mark to wake, and he very soon arrived in the kitchen in his pyjamas.

"I notice we still have our valuables, Mark," greeted Alex with a grin. "G'morning, love. Coffee?"

"Yes, you were right, I was wrong, nothing's missing that I know of. And coffee would be great. Hello, Danny."

"Hello, Mr Wallis."

"You alright kid? Sleep well?" he asked casually, accepting a mug of coffee from Alex. "Oh, dear. Is Alex trying to poison you, kid?" he pointed to the bacon and eggs.

"Mark!" scolded Alex, whacking him gently with a spatula. "My cooking is not that bad."

He chuckled, and sat down opposite Danny. "So, Danny. What're we going to do with you, hm? Where do you live?"

Danny looked down. "I- I can't go back there." he said quietly. "My parents hate me."

"Come on, I'm sure that's not true. What's your last name, honey?" coaxed Alex. "I know life can be rough, but I'm sure you can sort things out with your parents. I'm sure they're missing you."

Danny shook his head. "They won't." he swallowed. _They're probably devising ways to dissect me if I ever come home again_, he thought.

"Well... kid, did you have a plan before you came out here? Please don't tell me you just ran off."

Danny shook his head. "I... wasn't thinking very clearly."

Mark sighed. "I can tell that much, kid. Well, maybe we could take you to the police station or something... If you really can't go back home, then they'll find you somewhere to go..."

"No!" said Danny, urgently. _The police aren't exactly very fond of Danny Phantom either._ "Uh, I mean... please don't. I'll just go. It's fine. Thank you for letting me stay here tonight." He stood, and made his way towards the stairs to get his bag.

Mark caught hold of his arm. "Hold up, kid. I'm not letting you go out there. We need to find somebody to take care of you."

Danny considered going intangible and running for it, but decided against it and sat back down.

"Why don't you want to go to the police, Danny? Did you do something? This is serious, Danny, please tell us. They'll help you. Whatever you've done can't have been that bad, and you're only... what? Thirteen, fourteen?"

"Fourteen." answered Danny. "I didn't do anything. I just don't want to go to the police."

"Kid..."

"Please? I'll be fine. I just don't want to go back there."

Mark and Alex exchanged looks.

"Alright. Danny, stay here. Don't move an inch from that spot. We're just going into the other room to have a talk about this."

Reluctantly, Danny nodded. The two adults left the room.

* * *

Maddie was distraught. Jack placed a consoling arm around her shoulders.

Sam and Tucker shifted uncomfortably in their seats, and Jazz hovered by her parents anxiously. They had already explained why Danny had left to Jazz, who had groaned, and muttered about inconsiderate, thoughtless, silly little brothers making assumptions and disappearing, and was now worriedly trying to figure out where Danny could have gone.

Danny had hidden the Booo-merang, so they had no idea how to find him, and no way of telling whether or not he was all right. Maddie and Jack had reported him missing, and phoned everybody they knew to see if Danny could be staying there.

"Oh, my baby boy," Maddie said quietly. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't started that stupid conversation- If I had just let him tell me in his own time..."

"Mom, it's not your fault. We'll find him, I'm sure we will. Danny- Danny can look after himself, and we'll find him..." said Jazz, trying to comfort her mother. Unfortunately she sounded more like she was trying to convince herself.

As soon as she was alone with Sam and Tucker, she said, "If you see him, you tell him to come home right now." she bit her lip. "Oh, Danny... where are you?"


	6. Chapter 6

_Please don't kill me!_

_First of all, I am sorry a thousand times over. I promised you weekly updates, and, well, it pretty much went down the drain. But I do have my reasons._

_First of all, these past few weeks I have had some exams which are pretty much vital. If I don't pass, I am in deep trouble, and that's putting it lightly. Considering my... erratic attendance record with the school, I've been revising almost nonstop for weeks_. _Add on to that various family problems and life in general and I just haven't had the time to update. I can't apologise enough for neglecting this, but I hope you'll understand why.  
_

_On the bright side, exams are over and it's the holidays, so weekly updates will return from now on. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom._

* * *

"Alex, look, I understand you don't want to leave him to fend for himself, really I do, but we can't just take him in without knowing anything about him! He must've done something, Al, look how much he objected to going to the police!"

"Mark, for all we know there could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for that. Maybe he's worried they'll take him back to his parents or something. Mark, please- just look at him. He looks tired and stressed and he's so wary all the time, as if he's worried someone's going to suddenly appear behind him and try to beat him up. Hell, maybe he is worried about that. Maybe that's why he ran away."

Mark raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "You think he's a victim of abuse?"

"Well it would explain how jumpy he is. Don't tell me you didn't see it- the way he looked up at every little sound, how nervous he is."

"Alex, there could be dozens of explanations for that-"

Alex interrupted him. "What if I'm right? What if I'm right and we ship him off to the police, who send him home to abusive parents, huh?"

Mark looked torn. "That would be terrible, but Alex, we don't _know-_"

"So we'll ask."

"What? I hardly think he's going to come out and say it. He's been pretty defensive about himself so far."

Alex shoo her head, an exasperated frown on her face. "We don't ask like _that_. Try being a bit... subtle. Hm?"

"Alex..." he said with a tired, reluctant sigh.

"_Mark..._" she mimicked. "Come on. Give him a chance, okay? He's a good kid, Mark, I'm sure of it. He's a good kid."

Mark sighed, but nodded. "Alright, Al. Alright."

* * *

"Danny... you're running away because of a family problem, yes?" asked Alex, concernedly.

Danny nodded uncertainly.

"This problem, is it new?"

_Well, Danny Phantom certainly isn't new..._ he shook his head.

"So, it's been happening for a while, huh? Does this problem... do you get hurt, Danny? Because of the problem?"

Danny, blinked, puzzled, but nodded. "Yeah, but why...?"

"So, a family problem's been causing you to get hurt for a while?" she asked cautiously.

Danny considered this. "Well, it's not really a family problem..."

"Danny," asked Alex gently, "is anybody hurting you?"

Danny's eyes widened in realisation. "No! No, no, it's not like that... I mean yes I get hurt but it's not my_ parents_..." a stray image of Maddie Fenton firing an ectogun at Danny Phantom appeared in his mind. "Well, not on purpose." he admitted.

Alex threw a meaningful glance at Mark, who rolled his eyes. "Alright, I get it. He can stay, Al, but, well, I warned you, if anything happens..."

Alex smiled widely, and wrapped her arms around him happily. "Thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek. She disentangled herself from Mark and turned back to Danny.

"Danny, Mark and I... we think that we could let you stay here for a bit, just until these problems of yours can be sorted out, okay? It's not a problem for us, Danny, I promise. So... do you want to stay here?" she asked softly, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder. Danny stared at her, shocked.

"I, uh, I- I..." he stammered, searching for an answer.

"Danny," said Alex, "We can't let you go out there on your own, you understand? It's not right. Please. Let us take care of you."

"But-" he tried to interrupt. This time, it was Mark who stopped him, shaking his head.

"Danny, I'm not entirely sure about this whole thing, but Al's right. We can't let go out and fend for yourself. It's dangerous, and you're just a kid. Danny, I'm going to ask that you stay with us, or we'll call the police to help you instead, because I'm not going to let a fourteen year old become homeless."

Danny bit his lip, looking from Alex's earnest, pleading expression to Mark's stoic but determined face.

"I- okay. I guess that's okay. I-" he broke off, and looked down a little. "-thank you, Mr and Mrs Wallis."

"Don't mention it, kid," said Mark with a sigh. "I just hope this is the right thing to do."


	7. Chapter 7

_Here's chapter seven :) Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom._

"Local teenager, Daniel Fenton, was reported missing last night. If Danny is watching this, or if somebody knows where he is, his parents are begging for any information which might lead to the safe return of their son. The hotline is-"

Maddie switched off the television and put her head in her hands. For a while, she sat perfectly still.

After ten minutes, her breath hitched and her shoulders heaved, as a sob shook her body. Before long, she was crying, tears running down red cheeks.

"Oh, Danny, I'm sorry," she said hoarsely. "I should never have said anything."

Warm arms wrapped around her, and she looked up into her husband's determined face.

"We'll find him, Maddie."

* * *

When Danny first saw the television broadcast, he panicked. Thankfully, neither Alex or Mark watched the news- both chose to read the newspaper to find out about what was going on in the world, and one missing teenager in a small town was not a big enough event to make the national papers. Perhaps there was a missing person notice somewhere- but if either of them ever saw one, they never mentioned it to Danny.

Both Alex and Mark worked in a nearby town (not Amity Park, to Danny's relief) and so for most of the day, they were out. Alex had given him an encyclopaedia and told him that she wanted an essay on a subject of his choosing by the time she got back- "You need something to do, you might as well learn." Danny had chosen ghosts, deciding that if he had to write essays, he might as well choose something he was an expert at. Mark had told him to behave himself.

Essay complete, Danny decided to patrol Amity Park for ghost attacks- his parents obviously hadn't told the world his secret yet, and he didn't want to give them the chance to catch on by having both Phantom and Fenton missing at the same time. All he found was an ectopus, which he caught and left in a thermos on Jazz's desk.

After that he flew to the school. Tucker and Sam were, for once, the center of attention- surrounded by a small crowd of people, all asking about Danny.

Floating invisibly behind them, he whispered, "Hey." They made no sign that they had heard, but Sam gave him a relieved smile for a fraction of a second before standing up.

"We don't know where Danny is, so why can't you leave us alone?" she yelled, threateningly. "Just go away!"

The crowd dispersed, grumbling, leaving Sam and Tucker alone. Sam sunk back to her seat wearily as soon as they left.

"Danny, thank god you're okay." she whispered. "How're things going?"

"I... I'm alright. This couple offered me a place to stay for a while."

"What're they like?" asked Tucker, ensuring that any outsiders would be unaware that they were talking to their invisible best friend.

"Well, they're kind of suspicious of me, but they say they don't want to let me sleep out in the cold so they're taking me in. Mrs Wallis is nice, but Mr Wallis doesn't trust me... I suppose I should've expected that, though. I think they think I'm a victim of child abuse." he grimaced, forgetting for a moment that his friends couldn't see him.

"They're treating you okay?" Sam demanded as quietly as she could.

"Yeah, although Mrs Wallis made me do an essay this morning because she thinks it's important for teenagers to learn."

Tucker stifled a snort. "Tough luck, dude. But they sound alright."

"Yeah," said Danny. "How... how're Mom and Dad and Jazz?"

"They're upset, Danny. Really upset. Danny... I know you're worried about what they're going to do, but they really don't hate you. They'll accept you, Danny." she pleaded.

Danny bit his lip. "But... what if they try and separate my ghost half and my human half or something? What if they try to rip Danny Phantom out? They love Fenton, but they _hate_ Phantom. I can't- I can't risk that, Sam."

"Danny..." she trailed off. She couldn't deny the truth of Danny's words: Jack and Maddie Fenton hated Danny Phantom, and although they missed their son, they certainly wouldn't miss the ghost. They wouldn't deliberately hurt Danny- but that didn't mean they wouldn't do it unintentionally.

"Stay safe, Danny." she said.

Tucker nodded. "Yeah man, don't get yourself in trouble. As soon as the coast is clear, we want you back here, alright?"

Danny nodded invisibly. "Yeah, I promise."


	8. Chapter 8

_Okay, my internet's being kind of screwy at the moment, so if I miss the next update, I'm really sorry and I'll put it up as soon as my computer stops messing about._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom._

"Have you seen this child?" the Fenton GAV patrolled the streets of Amity Park, the loud speaker installed on top of it blaring. Jack and Maddie Fenton were throwing their all into finding their son, even making a few trips into the ghost zone in case Danny might be hiding there. Announcements were made in local newspapers and TV stations, posters put up- if anybody saw Danny, then Jack and Maddie Fenton were determined to be the first to know.

Their ghost hunting had come to a standstill, but Danny Phantom was keeping order. Privately, Maddie found herself thankful for his existence for once- she could search for her son without having to worry about Amity Park.

She watched him flying through the sky as she took a much-needed break (only because Sam and Tucker had convinced her that she wouldn't find Danny if she was tired) and wondered, not for the first time, if she had been right to bring up her suspicions with Danny. If he was a ghost, then of course he would've been frightened to have his parents- ghost hunters- find out, so why hadn't she just waited for him to tell her on his own?

As Phantom disappeared behind a building, a thought hit her.

They hadn't been having any luck finding her son. But if Danny really was a ghost, then...

"Send a theif to catch a theif," she muttered. "So maybe we have to send a ghost to catch a ghost..."

* * *

Danny was helping Alex by washing the dishes. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, frowning slightly.

"Danny..."

"Yeah?"

Alex sighed. "Are you Daniel Fenton?"

Danny's eyes widened as he stared in shock. "Wha-what?"

"I'll take that as a yes..."

"How did you...?"

She slid a newspaper cutting across the counter. It was a missing persons advert, with roughly ten faces on it, each with a name, age, place and the date they went missing beneath the photographs. Danny's was the third in line.

"You didn't honestly expect us not to try and find out who you were, did you? Look, we aren't going to make you go back, not if... not if what we think is happening is happening. But Danny, please, if somebody's hurting you or- or doing something to you, let us go to the police, okay? I don't know why you're so antsy about the cops, but they can help you, Danny, if just tell us why you ran away."

Danny shook his head desperately. "No, no, you don't understand... I can't!"

"Hey, calm down, we won't make you, but why can't you go, Danny? Did you do something? It can't have been that serious, I'm sure it'll be okay..."

"No, I can't go... please, Mrs Wallis, I can't!" the police would take him back to his parents, and he couldn't, he just _couldn't..._

"Hey, hey, it's okay, it's okay..." she guided the panicked teen into a seat and rubbed his shoulders gently, moving her hand in small circles. "Calm down, Danny. It's alright. We aren't going to make you do anything, Danny, I promise, but we just want to help. We've got to do something, Danny , you can't stay here forever."

"I- I know," Danny said. "I know. But I just _can't._ I'm sorry."

Alex sighed. "It's alright Danny. We'll work something out." she gave him an encouraging smile, but inwardly, she frowned.

_Just what exactly is going on with you, Danny?_ she asked herself. _What on earth have you gotten yourself into?_


	9. Chapter 9

_I'm sorry for the late update... An elderly relative of mine died recently, and although I didn't know her very well and she was well into her eighties, I still didn't particularly feel like writing. Normal updates begin again next tuesday, sorry for not being very reliable these past few chapters._

_I don't own Danny Phantom._

* * *

The trap was set. Maddie hid herself carefully, one full Fenton Thermos in her hands.

It was a long and agonising wait, but shortly after midday, she finally saw what she had been looking for. In the distance she could see an unmistakable flying silhouette- Danny Phantom had arrived.

She took a deep breath, and aimed the thermos carefully. Then she pushed a small green button on the side, releasing the occupants from their prison and allowing all hell to break loose.

* * *

Danny was about to fly back to the Wallis's home when a rush of icy blue mist poured from his mouth. He heaved a sigh, and scanned the horizon for the otherworldly menace.

Once he spotted it, it was all he could do not to groan in annoyance. Hovering above the park, cackling manically, was Technus, and beside him, Skulker. Danny resisted the urge to go and bash his head against something and flew towards the disturbance, preparing an ectoblast in his right hand.

"Hey! You guys weren't thinking of starting without me, were you?" he yelled, causing both ghosts to turn in surprise.

"You will not stop me this time, ghost child for I am-"

"-Technus, ghostly master of egomania, yes, I know. And Skulker, the worst hunter in the ghost zone."

He fired the prepared blast straight at Technus's stomach, sending the ghost tumbling backwards through the air, and then dashed towards Skulker with another ectoblast blazing in his hands. The hunter blocked quickly, but couldn't quick save himself from the kick Danny aimed at his abdomen, temporarily throwing him off-course. While he was confused, Danny fired yet another ectoblast- only to be hit in the back of the head by a floating radio.

"Ha! You stand no chance, Ghost Child! Fall before the wrath of Technus!" the voice came from the center of a whirling mass of floating technology.

"Or not!" Danny yelled, firing an ectoblast at the ghost's head before he could fuse the machines together into Technus Version whatever-they-were-up-to-now-point-oh. He took the ghost's momentary disorientation as an opportunity to grab his Fenton Thermos and suck the ghost into it.

"Now to deal with Skulker..." he turned to face the hunter just in time to duck a glowing orange blast from one of the hunter's many guns. "Whoa!"

"I will have your head, ghost boy!"

"Don't you get tired of saying that?" Danny asked, firing a quick blast at the ghost's helmet and successfully knocking it off, leaving Skulker's froglike form undefended. "You know, you really aren't all that threatening once you know what's under the suit." he grinned, once more taking out the thermos. "Bye-bye!"

Skulker howled with rage as he was pulled into the vortex and Danny capped the thermos with a self-satisfied grin. "There, now I can..."

He was cut off, however, by a very familiar sound. He turned around just in time to see a grim-faced Maddie Fenton stood before him, a Fenton thermos in hand, aimed directly at him.

"Sorry, Danny Phantom." she said, and Danny was sucked into the thermos.

* * *

_PS: I hate fight scenes._

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

_Ugh, tired. No author's note today, I'm too sleepy. _

_I don't own Danny Phantom. _

* * *

The thermos was never a pleasant experience.

It was beyond 'cramped', beyond 'small'- it forced you to become totally bodiless, immaterial, only the barest essence of yourself. Danny had been in the thermos before- but never for so long. He had been in for almost an hour now and it was driving him crazy.

Finally, Maddie removed the lid. He tumbled out of the tiny confined space with relief, taking a few seconds to remember exactly how it felt to have a physical form again. He had barely managed to clear his head when something cold, metallic and heavy snapped onto his wrists and ankles, and he looked up to see his mother's face.

* * *

Maddie watched as Phantom fell out of the thermos, grimacing. He didn't appear to be aware of his surroundings yet, though, and she took the opportunity to snap the ghost-proofed restraints into place. Phantom looked up at her with suddenly panicked eyes.

"Phantom."

"Uh, I can explain everything, I promise!"

"I don't care! I don't care what you've done or why you've done it, Phantom, I just- I just want my son back."

Phantom stared up at her with confused eyes. "You want...?"

"My son," she said, "has gone missing. You are the last person on earth I'd want to go to for help, but nobody else can find him. Just- say that you'll help me, Phantom. Say you'll help me, and I don't care what you've done, I'll forgive you for it. I'll never hunt you again, Phantom... just bring Danny back."

Phantom looked utterly lost. "You mean you don't know?" he asked her, weakly.

"I... I know he's a ghost. He died in the accident and became a ghost, and he was pretending not to be because he was scared. I know, I figured it out just before he left, but when I confronted him... I should never have done it. He thought I wanted to- to experiment on him, and he ran away. I want you to find him, Phantom, and bring him home. Tell him that he'll _always_ be more important than our ghost-hunting, and that if he's a ghost..." she trailed off.

Phantom was staring, looking slightly horrified.

"...I don't care if he's a ghost, Phantom. He's my son. I just want him back."

* * *

Danny couldn't believe his ears.

She didn't know?

He'd run away from home because they'd found out his secret... but they didn't know?

He would've laughed at the stupidity of it if it hadn't been _him_ it was happening to.

_She didn't know..._

* * *

"Danny?"

Alex was panicking.

"Danny? Danny?"

She hadn't seen the teenager since she'd gotten back from work. His bag was still in his room and the dinner she'd left for him to heat up was untouched, but Danny was nowhere to be found.

"Danny! Danny?"

She was afraid. He'd been here only a week, but she'd gotten attached to him- and now he'd gone missing. It was possible, she supposed, that he'd made a run for it, but if he had, why leave his bag here? And why leave the food, too? Surely he'd take it with him, if he was going to run off again.

"Danny? Danny, where are you?"

* * *

"Are you going to help me or not?" she asked.

"You-" he looked up at her. "You don't care if he's a ghost?"

"He's my _son._ I couldn't care less. He could be a- a _mass-murderer,_ and there'd still be some part of me that would love him, because he's my little boy."

It was at that point that Danny made up his mind.

"Danny's coming back," he said, softly. "But he's not a ghost." he looked straight up into Maddie's confused face.

"Have you ever heard of a halfa?"


	11. Chapter 11

_Okay, I've just had an eye operation, so forgive me for not responding to your reviews... To everyone who's reviewed, thank you very much, I'm sorry I haven't replied/won't be replying. Here it is, last chapter... Aw, I'm going to miss writing this._

_I don't own DP._

* * *

"My son is half ghost?"

"Yeah."

"The portal accident... it must've infused his body with ectoplasm. That explains why he still looks human..."

Danny nodded. "But... there's the ghost half too." he said.

Maddie frowned. "Phantom, my son's ghost half... do I... have I ever...?"

"Yeah," Danny admitted reluctantly. "But you've never hurt him."

"Phantom," she looked at him. "Which ghost? Which ghost is my son?"

Danny swallowed.

"I am."

* * *

"Mark, Danny's missing."

Mark blinked. "Yes, Alex, I know that."

"No, I mean he's missing now! He's gone! Mark, _I don't know where he's gone!_"

"You can't find him? Have you looked outside?"

She nodded. "I can't find him anywhere, Mark. What if something's happened to him?" she asked, sniffling and red-eyed. "Mark, I'm so worried about him. What if he's hurt, Mark?"

Mark bit his lip. "Oh, Alex... I'm sure he's fine... Come on, Al. We'll go find him, okay? He can't have gone far. We'll find him, I promise."

* * *

Danny forced two bright rings to appear at his waist and transformed as Maddie watched, speechless.

"D-Danny?"

"Hi, Mom." he said, softly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

She put her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Oh, sweetheart... I understand. I understand, it's okay. Oh, Danny, I'm so _sorry_."

"It's alright, I should've told you."

"No, Danny, it's fine. Of course you didn't tell me, you must've been terrified! I'm so sorry, sweetheart, this is all my fault. If we'd been more careful about the portal... if we hadn't been so obsessed with _ghost-hunting_ and paid you more attention... If we'd only _thought! _ You must think us terrible parents, Danny."

"No I don't, Mom. It's not you're fault, it's mine... and I'm sorry for running away. I just- I just panicked, is all. I wasn't thinking."

"Nonsense. You're back now, and you're safe, and that's all that matters, Danny. I love you... you know that, don't you, sweetheart?"

Danny smiled. "I love you too, Mom."

* * *

Alex was sobbing, Mark's arm around her shoulders, when they heard a knock on the door. Alex was up in an instant, flinging the door open. "Danny?" she aske,d hoping against hope that it would be him- and sure enough, the teen stood on the doorstep, smiling sheepishly. Relief flooded through her.

He was accompanied by two adults and a red-haired teenage girl.

"Oh, Danny, I was so scared- who are these people, Danny? Where've you been?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs Wallis- this is my mom and dad, Jack and Maddie Fenton, and my sister Jazz. I snuck home to get something earlier today and I- Irealised how worried everyone was, how stupid it was to run away without thinking about it first. We came by to say thank you for looking after me."

Alex could've cried. She flung her arms around Danny.

"Oh, you daft boy... I'm so glad you're alright." she said hoarsely. "You should've left a note, kid."

"I didn't mean to worry you, Mrs Wallis..."

"Oh, it's alright, it's alright. I'm happy you've seen sense, silly. I just wish you'd warned me first!" she sniffed.

She let go of him, and straightened up to greet his parents, looking a little scared- and rather guilty. "Ah... Maddie, I'm sorry for not reporting your son as found, but..." she flushed. "I was, ah, I was worried that he might've been abused. I didn't want to send him back if that was the case. I realise that I shouldn't have kept him, but I didn't want-"

Maddie held up a hand, interrupting her. "Please, don't worry, I understand. He tells me you took good care of him, and I'm grateful to you. I was so worried... I'm glad to hear he was safe." she smiled.

In the fuss, no one noticed Mark taking his place at his wife's side. He smiled in greeting at the Fentons, taking his wife's hand in his own.

"He was a pleasure, a great kid. I'm glad he's decided to go home, you must've been out of your minds with worry. And I'm sorry... Alex's right, we should've reported him, but he got so scared when we suggested it... everything's sorted out now, is it, Danny?"

Danny grinned. "Yeah, it was just a big misunderstanding." he bit his lip, and then gave the man a tentative hug. "I know you were concerned about letting me stay here... thanks for not kicking me out."

Mark shook his head. "Well, I could hardly make you leave, now, could I? I'm pleased to see that I didn't misjudge you, Danny. You take better care of yourself in future, alright?"

After that, Alex rushed them into the house, insisting that they stay for a drink. When Maddie tried to protest, saying she didn't want to be a bother, Alex waved off her protests. "Nonsense! I'm not letting Danny leave us without a proper goodbye this time." she said with a grin.

By the time they left, it was well into the night. Alex caught Danny in another tight hug.

"You come back and see me, you hear, young man? I want to know how you're getting on."

Danny nodded. "I will, Mrs Wallis." he promised. "Thank you."

He waved them goodbye from the back window of the Fenton GAV as they drove away. Alex sighed as she watched them leave.

"Daft boy," Mark said with a shake of his head. "I'm glad he's home."

Alex nodded. "Yeah..."

The lights of the GAV disappeared into the distance.

"Bye, Danny."


End file.
